The fact is more than half the world’s people now call cities home. All of the world’s population growth over the next four decades—some 2.3 billion people—will take place in urban areas. And rapid urbanization gives us unique capabilities for spurring social change. As the Ford Foundation partners with TED to explore and advance a socially just city, we want to hear from those of you who champion a more inclusive vision of your cities.

Some answers to inspire you to jump in:

Jorge Andrés Delgado: I think we gotta think first in the very definition of “sustainable” to answer that question. Do you mean a sustained growth of the cities or an intelligent management of the local resources to create a balanced system with a steady-state economy? As you know there is a huge contradiction between how economy works (infinite exponential growth) and how our planet can regrow its finite resources (pretty slow if you compare).

Fritzie Reisner: Are you asking primarily about areas undergoing rapid urbanization? My area has been urban for a very long time, but some of the initiatives that have long been underway here include 1)improving public transportation and bicycle-friendliness to reduce reliance on cars and parking, 2)land-use decisions to provide for a diverse array of housing options (from pod-type units to single family homes), 3)strategies for connecting neighbors and neighborhoods

Jesse Horwitz: I think great cities are somewhat like great research universities – they take centuries to develop and are pretty robust at the end of this long and challenging process of establishment. If you run through the great cities of the world – New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Beijing, Hong Kong – they have hundreds of years of history. Interestingly, several of them have been physically devastated one or more times, so this doesn’t seem to be about physical infrastructure, etc., but about cultural institutions (both formal and informal).

Imagine a book club for TED Talks … and you’ll know why we’re excited to launch TEDWeekends, a new way to explore ideas on the Huffington Post.

Each weekend, we’ll take one great TED Talk and surround it with a range of reactions. Look for essays from the speakers themselves, Huffington Post bloggers — and you! Because ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, discussed and reacted to, they morph and adapt and become ever more potent.

Here’s our plan. Every weekend for the next year, we’ll introduce a theme, anchored to a TEDTalk we think has at its core a powerful and timely concept. But rather than simply offering it up as is, we’re opening it up to you to write your own post about it, leave comment behind, and help refine it, asking questions like:

– how is this relevant now?
– what are its real-world implications?
– how might this idea be used to shape the future?
– what are the main criticisms that could be leveled at it?
– how can it be improved?
– how can it be spread?

]]>http://blog.ted.com/2012/11/02/new-tedweekends-on-huffington-post/feed/2emilytedBrian Goldman, TEDWeekends on Huffington PostYou Tell Us: What would you do for the world with $1 million?http://blog.ted.com/2012/08/08/you-tell-us-what-would-you-do-for-the-world-with-1-million/
http://blog.ted.com/2012/08/08/you-tell-us-what-would-you-do-for-the-world-with-1-million/#commentsWed, 08 Aug 2012 19:47:21 +0000http://blog.ted.com/?p=61509[…]]]>

Did you know that you — as in, anyone — can nominate a visionary leader for this year’s TED Prize? Do you have a mentor with an incredible track record? A former teacher with a big idea for change? A colleague doing incredible work that could reach new heights if given more resources? A friend with the ability to inspire collaborative action? Well, nominations are currently open. Find out more by heading to the TED Prize website, where you can even nominate yourself.

In late June, TED announced a new chapter of the TED Prize. Not only was the cash prize for the annual award — granted in the past to artist J.R., chef Jamie Oliver, music educator José Abreu, writer Dave Eggers and biologist E.O. Wilson, among others — increased to $1 million and the nomination process opened to anyone. But, while historically the prize has been awarded to individuals who then made a wish, this year articulating the big wish is done up front, with the idea getting heavy weight in the selection process. Because we are looking for a great idea, after all.

Nominations for the TED Prize are due on August 31, a date which is quickly approaching. And so we decided to ask you, in a TED Conversation, what you would do if awarded the $1 million prize. Below, some of your incredible answers.

“Start a grass roots org. to teach people survival skills they will need in a globally warmed world. Key word here is ‘survival.’” —Gale Kooser

“I think I would use the big number to teach children how to manage money and invest in a high school level personal finance class. Take the million dollars and work with some financial planners to use several different types of investments such as savings bonds, stocks, municipal bonds, utility stocks, savings accounts, CDs, and similar common investments. Post the financial planner’s strategy online and set up some sort of game where the kids did research into how the investment strategy will work. Let them come up with a plan and see how they do against the expert. Give every child a stake in the earnings. Split the earnings among participants, but make the split based on successful prediction of personal finance over the course of the school year, successful marketing strategies found, and development of financial savvy. Reuse the million dollars for the next year’s class.” —Robert Galway

“I’d buy some of the toxic assets and burned them in my backyard!!! Awwww!!!” —Jedrek Stepien

“Start an organization which helps people to fulfill their dreams!!!” —Chetan Somani

“I think the best use is in bursaries [i.e. scholarships] for people disadvantaged in real time from continuing their studies. I am certain it is in the combination of research and actual lived experience that a person is best able to synthesize their knowledge and information. I believe bursaries should support a second chance, for young people whose hormones or family circumstances got in the way of learning, for older women who decided to have children first for whatever reason and for disabled people, if only to get them the technology so they can speak and be heard.” —Elizabeth Muncey

“Get involved in microeconomics … spend it in the local area.” —Robert Winner

“Ondo State Children’s Home in southwest Nigeria is an orphanage with hundreds of children who have access to education until high school. Some of the children may not be able to go to the university if they are still not adopted at age 18, which is usually the case. With a million dollars I would start a scheme that ensures that university education is possible for the children.” —Feyisayo Anjorin

In a moment of skepticism, community member Kate Blake wrote, “Sounds great, but $1 million won’t go very far to make long-term benefits.” And got this response:

It’s a big question: “Is the internet, not formal education, the great equalizer?” — and it’s been generating lively discussions in our TED Conversations community. If you’ve been thinking about this too, sign in to TED.com and join the debate; it’s on for another 24 hours.

Responses range from :

“The internet is a powerful tool in self-education. I personally am only in university because I need an Honors/ PhD to do research, but when I actually study, I prefer searching the internet or reading books and journal articles as opposed to relying on lectures…” (Reply or comment >>)

“The Internet is a phenomenal tool but I expect that, certainly at this point, it is the opposite to an equalizer, especially versus a formal education.” (Reply or comment >>)

“Formal education and the Internet are not necessarily analogues. The Internet is a tool for dispersing and interacting with information, while a formal education can be a myriad of programs created by humans for any number of purposes.” (Reply or comment >>)